Simsbury Seniors AP Psychology Memory

Terms in this set (77)

the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information

-the processing of information into the memory system-- for example, by extracting meaning
-getting information into our brain

the retention of encoded information over time

the process of getting information out of memory storage

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system

Short-Term Memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten

Long-Term Memory

The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

views memories as emerging from interconnected neural networks

a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory

Parallel Processing

The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving

Automatic Processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings

Effortful Processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

the conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage

additional rehearsal even after we learn material

-the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice
-we retain information better when our rehearsal is distributed over time

repeated quizzing of previously studied material

Serial Position Effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

Visual Encoding

the encoding of picture images

Acoustic Encoding

the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words

Semantic Encoding

the encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words

mental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding

Rosy Retrospection

people tend to recall events more positively than they judged them at the time

memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices

organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds or words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds

Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two

Short-term memory is limited not only in duration but also in capacity, typically storing about seven bits of information (give or take two)

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

An increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.

Mild Cognitive Impairment

often becomes Alzheimer's disease

-a neurotransmitter that enhances synaptic communication (LTP)
-drugs that boost glutamate are meant to help with memory

Flashbulb Memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

the loss of memory

-Hippocampus removed during surgery
-Could trace a mirrored outline of a star even though he had no memory of doing the task in the past

Implicit Memory

-retention dependent of conscious recollection (also called nondeclarative or procedural memory)
-examples: riding a bike; playing an instrument

Explicit Memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare" (also called declarative memory)

a neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

Left vs Right Hippocampus Damage

With left-hippocampus damage, people have trouble remembering verbal information, but they have no trouble recalling visual designs and locations. With right-hippocampus damage, the problem is reversed.

plays an important part in our forming and storing of implicit memories created by classical conditioning

Infantile Amnesia

the implicit reactions and skills we learn during infancy reach far into our future, yet as adults we recall nothing (explicitly) of our first three years

a measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test

a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test

a measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time

anchor points you can use to access the target information when you want to retrieve it later

the activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory

That eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

State-Dependent Memory

what we learn in one state-- be it drunk or sober-- may be more easily recalled when we are again in that state

Mood-Congruent Memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood

Absent-Mindedness

inattention to details leads to encoding failure (our mind is elsewhere as we lay down the car keys)

storage decay over time (after we part ways with former classmates, unused information fades)

inaccessibility of stored information (tip of the tongue)

confusing the source of information (putting words in someone else's mouth or remembering a dream as an actual happening)

the lingering effects of misinformation (a leading question-- "Did Mr. Jones touch your private parts?"-- later becomes a young child's false memory)

belief-colored recollections (current feelings toward a friend may color our recalled initial feelings)

unwanted memories (being haunted by images of a sexual assault)

Proactive Interference

the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information

Retroactive Interference

the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information

-in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
-we repress painful memories to protect our self-concept and to minimize anxiety

Misinformation Effect

incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event

imagination inflation

repeatedly imagining nonexistent actions and events can create false memories

-Attributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined (also called source misattribution). Source amnesia, along with the misinformation effect, is at the heart of many false memories
-We retain the memory of the event, but not of the context in which we acquired it

associated meanings and feelings with an event

slug used to study memory (in terms of neurons); has one of the most simple nervous systems in the animal kingdom

dendritic / axonal branching

new synapses are created
when learning occurs

traumatic amnesia

don't remember the moment of / before impact (as in head injury)

anterograde amnesia

cannot make a new memory after brain damage; cannot encode

retrograde amnesia

cannot remember events prior to brain damage

cognitive approach to memory

"memory" consists of encoding, storage, and retrieval

organized clusters of related knowledge (general / big picture; not details)

hierarchies / organizational categories

superordinate categories (ex. pet) vs subordinate categories (ex. black lab)

pegging something to a location; memory device

context-dependent learning

has to do with your environment / the world around you when you learn

positive transfer

skills for one task help you learn a new task

negative transfer

skills for one task do not help you learn a new task (they interfere)

serial position effects (primacy effect / recency effect)

the tendency of a person to recall the first and last items in a series best, and the middle items worst

structural encoding

emphasizes the physical structure of the stimulus

phonemic encoding

emphasizes what a word wounds like

semantic encoding

emphasizes the meaning of verbal input

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